Thursday, January 7, 2010

Like I alluded to in my last post, I'm doing a little n=1 experiment; I'm the sole participant, and the control is organic whole milk. I'm going to blast a few Moo facts out there, and then explain why I've included it in my diet.

All milk in Canada, by law HAS to be pasteurized. Pasteurization, by simple definition, is the heating of milk to destroy any enzymatic activity; this is turn, in theory, reduces the chance of harmful bacterial growth and prolongs shelf life.

Pasteurization also causes a large increase in 7-keto cholesterol, an oxidized form of cholesterol. Now while cholesterol isn't BAD, per se, anything oxidized IS. I've made reference to oxidized lipids in my Fish Oil Guide post.

Homogenization is a process whereby the milk is forced at super high pressure through micro-screens; this, in turn, prevents the fat from separating from the rest of the milk. The issue here is that these microglobules of fat can "slip" through the intestinal lining and enter the bloodstream partially undigested. This can trigger autoimmune disorders via molecular mimicry, and anyone who consumes a lot of gluten and lectins (Um, Alberta Cows anyone?? Slogan should be "Got Grain?") is even at a greater risk, due to the inflammatory nature of both lectins and gluten. Robb Wolf mentioned trying to find a way to homogenize coconut oil so he could put it in his coffee. I nearly spewed mine all over my computer when I was listening to the Paleolithic Solution, and seriously considered calling him. But I'm sure he was joking. I hope.

Now before any smarty-pants out there start crying that fat is actually absorbed lymphatically and not intenstinally, and that it's incomplete proteins that trigger autoimmune issues, I'd like point out that due to homogenization, the fat is more than likely bonded with casein and whey, and the former has also been implicated in autoimmune issues. So there.

So why the frack am I drinking milk again? A single reason, justified a couple of ways: I want to gain lean body mass. Moo helps because:

1) It's got some proteiney goodness in the form of casein and whey. Casein is a slow-digesting protein, and whey is a fast digesting protein. Most folks are familar with whey, as it's the most common protein found in supplements.

2) It's crazy Insulinogenic. WTF? It causes a pretty damn substantial insulin spike. The GI (Glycemic Index) of milk can range from a low of 11 (full fat) to upwards of 32 (skim), based, obviously, on the fat content and how fast it's absorbed. In Insulin Index, of which there is VERY little research on, puts milk WAY above what the GI is, as far as insulin response. So, from an anabolic perspective, this is optimal. Especially combined with heavy resistance training. Bodybuilders know this, a la the GOMAD diet (Gallon of Milk A Day).

From a long term health point of view, downing a shitload of Moo ain't a wise choice if you'd like to avoid cancer. It's anabolic, remember? Makes stuff grow. Combine that with crappy homo milk from grain fed cattle, and you're playing Texas Hold 'em at a table with Daniel Negreanu You're going to lose.

Since my foray into a Strength Bias program, I've gained significant strength, but not an iota of weight; subjectively, I'm pretty sure I'm about the same BF%. I'm starting to top out on my lifts, so it's time to change things up.

The milk I've found is from a local dairy called Vital Green Farms; it's whole milk, non-homogenized, from organically raised cattle. They are raised on a combination of grain and grass, and they utilize low-heat pasteurization. It's the best option I've been able to find. Raw, organic, whole milk from free-range grassfed cattle that have multiple degrees from Harvard and do regular charity work would be optimal, but it's kinda hard to find.

And holy shit does it taste good mixed with vanilla whey, a banana, and some frozen mixed berries. Day-um. Oh, and the heavy cream (52% MF, BOMB!)??? for my coffee. Why? Adding the high fat makes the caffeine lipophillic (translation: lover of fat, lol), and therefore, it's absorbed much faster. Yeah, I'm a junkie. I'm fine with it.

The effect of running shoes on lower extremity joint torques.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of modern-day running shoes on lower extremity joint torques during running. DESIGN: Two-condition experimental comparison. SETTING: A 3-dimensional motion analysis laboratory. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 68 healthy young adult runners (37 women) who typically run in running shoes. METHODS: All subjects ran barefoot and in the same type of stability running footwear at a controlled running speed. Three-dimensional motion capture data were collected in synchrony with ground reaction force data from an instrumented treadmill for each of the 2 conditions. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: Peak 3-dimensional external joint torques at the hip, knee, and ankle as calculated through a full inverse dynamic model. RESULTS: Increased joint torques at the hip, knee, and ankle were observed with running shoes compared with running barefoot.

Right now, there's a bit of flux going on in my gym-life; one of the owners of CFLA, Chad "Action" Brandt, has left to pursue other aspirations. Chad has been my mentor and coach since day 1, and I've learned a ton from him. He gave me the the knowledge and confidence through his wisdom to obtain my level 1 cert, which I was over-prepared for (and was anti-climactic, but that's another post for another time), and after spending 50 hours mentoring with him, he prepared me to coach classes on my own. Chad is one of the original Big Dawgs, trained under OPT. Also leaving CFLA is Katrina Burton, athlete extraordinaire and CF HQ gymnastics SME. Through the newly formed Action Conditioning they will continue to train athletes. I wish them nothing but success, and I have no doubt I will be calling on their extensive experience with my coaching questions and for my own programing.

And speaking of coaching experience, I'd like to highlight one of CFLAs coaches, Cory Gillespie; I've mentioned him before here---he's husband to part owner of CFLA, Heather, and a Strength and Conditioning (NCCP Lvl 1&2) coach at one of the local high schools. The incredibly lucky students and teachers have access to the school gym, which is run by Cory under the name Conquest Conditioning. I was fortunate enough to give a nutrition lecture there a while back, and I'll be doing some guest programming for Cory sometime in the near future.

Speaking of nutrition lectures, I'll be doing the initial nutrition intro on Jan 11th at 7PM for the kick-off to CFLA's Look, Feel, Perform Better Challenge; this will be similar to the lecture I gave the students, but more streamlined, and in two parts; I'll touch on basic nutrition bio, Paleo, Zone, suggested meals, eating habits for the first part. Like always, I'm excited to have a captive audience that can't leave. This time, I have a key to the gym, so you'll all be locked in there with me! Ha!

Jan 4th, CFLA, 11 AM

Front Squat

45#x10
95#x7
135#x5
185#x5
205#x5. Stopped there; knees felt good. Last time I tried FS was Dec 24th, and hit 205#x1, with pain. I have a 3RM of 245#, and a 1RM of 250#, so I'm guessing my 5RM is at 220#-ish.

3 Rounds For Time:

10 Pullups
15 Pushups
20 Situps
30 Squats5:09. Felt damn good about this WOD, but I favor ly left shoulder big time on pushups. For reference, some of the fastest times at our gym were in the 4:20 range. Schizen!

5:38. Everything felt great, so much so, in fact, I thought I was doing something wrong; I was gauging my performance based on David "Millionaire" Muryn's 5:48, who regularly crushes the WODs, and himself. The last round I stopped to check my barbell to make sure I had 75# on there, and make sure I had 4 rounds done already. Sean'O de-stroyed this WOD in 5:12, which I doubt I could have done even if I had blazed straight through!